Department of Defense Recognizes the Value of
the "Purple" Foreign Area Officer

by Frank McCluskey (DIA/DHP-1B)
(September 1997)

Senior DoD officials have long recognized the value of regional/area knowledge and language training in the development of officers for key positions in OSD, the Joint Staff, Unified Command staffs, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Security Assistance Agency. The approval of DoD Directive 1315.17, "Service Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Programs," on 22 February 1997 reinforced senior leadership's support for this key program by directing each Service to develop a FAO program.

Now officers in the Navy and Air Force can join those of the Army and Marine Corps in receiving formal FAO training and experience. The final form of Service FAO programs has not been set; however, we anticipate that utilization would be similar to that depicted in this diagram.

While FAO programs will differ somewhat between the Services, you -- as serving FAOs -- should encourage likely candidates to apply for their Service's FAO program. Likewise, officers who have obtained FAO qualifications (language and area expertise) through previous assignments and study can request to be designated as FAOs.

For interested officers, the following is a brief synopsis of Service-specific FAO status:

Army FAO Program: DA Pam 600-3, Chapter 40; Proponent telephone: DSN 227-6927. Continues to provide highly qualified officers who possess the regional expertise necessary in many joint and defense assignments. The OPMS XXI Task Force Study included the Army FAO Program. Recommendations by this Study have been accepted by the CSA, Army, and will fix some of the personnel problems experienced by the Army program in the recent past. Currently, the Army FAO population is 1,290 (at all ranks -- Major through Colonel), plus an additional 810 trainees (Captains).

Marine Corps FAO Program: USMC Order 1520.11D; Proponent telephone: DSN 224-4223. The existing Marine Corps FAO Program, like its Army counterpart, has provided well qualified personnel to fill Defense Attache positions around the world. The current program, consisting of language and one year in-country training, has recently expanded to include graduate school for all FAO trainees. The Corps has also created a separate program -- Regional Affairs Officer Program -- geared to training more personnel for Defense Attache System (DAS) assignments. This program consists of a twelve to eighteen month graduate area studies program initially, followed by required language training enroute to an assignment. While this latter program will allow officers to get back more frequently to troops, it is limited to the "soft languages" (Spanish, French, Italian, etc.). Training for regions that require hard languages remains in the standard FAO training system. At this time, Marine Corps FAO managers are conducting a force-wide review to identify more positions for their FAO population.

Navy FAO Program: OPNAV Instruction 1301.10; Proponent telephone: DSN 224-6166. On March 7, 1997, CNO sent a message to all Navy commands announcing the new program. Navy officials have identified 280 billets to be coded for FAOs. The Navy's first FAO selection board met the week of 14 July 1997 to consider the initial 480 applicants. While graduate school is in the cards, program managers have not agreed to provide one-year in-country training, but will try for regional assignments to give their officers similar experience. The Navy's target FAO population is 700, with an additional 200 officers in training at any one time.

Air Force FAO Program: Regulation/Instruction still to be published; Proponent telephone: DSN 223-8555. Air Force senior leadership met in mid-June 1997 to discuss the DoD Directive and to map out the Air Force FAO Program. The leadership identified 600 potential FAO positions/billets. These positions/billets still need to be validated. The Air Force regulation/Instruction covering the program is due to be published in January 1998 (action SAF-IAX). Using the Air Force personnel ration of 5:1people to positions, the Service may develop a FAO population of up to 3,000.

There is no doubt that early FAO training and follow-on assignments develop the type of military diplomats needed to serve in the DAS. Historically, it is the FAO, with his/her prior knowledge of the region and language, who have served superbly in the DAS. Other officers, although entering the DAS through a rigorous selection process, require extensive language training and frequently never attain the same levels of language fluency and local regional knowledge as their FAO counterparts. Experience has shown that language ability and region expertise are the two most important contributing factors to success as military diplomats.

Military attaches face challenging and unique tours of duty. They continually exercise their role as DoD's on-the-scene eyes and ears. Again and again, Unified Commanders and National-level officials have singled out the attaches' key role in crisis situations. From diverse locations such as Haiti, Bosnia, Somalia, Liberia, and the great lakes region of Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) attaches have provided the insight, critical analysis, and reporting essential to successful contingency planning and execution.

With new and expanding Service FAO programs coming on board to train area specialists, now is the time to recommend this career field to friends who have the aptitude and interest in this challenging operational arena. We need to start training FAOs today in order to have tomorrow's soldier-diplomats to meet the significant challenges of the future.

EDITOR'S NOTE: FAO Journal estimates that the current increases in Navy, Marine, and Air Force FAO Programs will only partly offset the growth in the "Purple" requirement for the FAO expertise worldwide. The Army program will continue to experience a slight growth over the next ten years.

1997, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org